What Might Have Been
by DisneyGirl10
Summary: *Set in Clone Wars, end of Mortis arc* Anakin finds himself in a strange place after Mortis gets destroyed, only to have his mind racked by many faces, voices and events that will affect him drastically and the small boy that will change his life forever.


**Hey guys. For those that have been reading my Marvel stories, sorry for the long wait. I'm just not in the right mood to write for that now since I'm in a Star Wars mood. Particularly a father/son mood.**

 **Yep. I've been into Anakin/Luke bonding stuff.**

 **So I wrote this. This takes place in Clone Wars, at the very end of the Mortis arc. I will edit it later for certain things. I own nothing of SW but I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Anakin felt sore. He could feel the stinging pressure all over his body, pressing against his closed eyelids. He groaned as the first thing he saw was blinding light. He rubbed his face as he started getting used to the brightness. He got on his hands and knees as he tried standing up. But as he looked around slowly, he could see nothing but bright white.

But how did he get here? Where is here?

After racking his brain for a few moments, the memories all came back in a swift blast. Mortis. Father. Daughter. Son. His eyes snapped at remembering Obi-Wan and Ahsoka with him when the planet exploded.

He moaned as he pushed himself off the ground, desperate to find his friends … wherever they are.

He started walking, calling out his friends' names but as time dragged on, he got no response. He thought he was stuck in an endless loop. That is until the light cleared up to reveal a small form before him. It was a boy wearing a white tunic and shirt, matching pants and rapped boots, reminding him of his life a lifetime ago. But what caught Anakin's attention was the boy's sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. _His_ eyes.

"Can you help me?"

Anakin didn't sense the darkness in the little one. The exact opposite in fact. Inside he was surged with the light side. Anakin bent down to meet the boy's eyes, smiling.

"Course I can. Are you lost?"

He nodded. "I need to find my dad."

Anakin suddenly felt a protective urge. "Yeah. I can help you find him."

The boy smile sweetly. "Thank you, mister! Come on!" He grabbed Anakin's robotic gloved hand and had him follow. However, as the light around them died, the scenery changed. As did Anakin's emotions.

OOO

As they walked, he saw flashes of moments from left to right. He saw Obi-Wan only much older with his hood on, looking crushed and sorrowful before it fade away. On his right, he sensed Ahsoka but he turned to see her much older among the wreckage of a destroyed temple before limping away when it faded too.

It kept going. Flashes of the Clone War, clone troopers shooting Jedi, destroyer ships attacking cities and invading planets, the Jedi Temple in flames. The more they walked, the darker the atmosphere got. Flashes of events that have happened, will happen, cramming so much in his head that it physically hurt.

"Hey kid! Are you seeing all this?" Anakin got no response. "What is going on here?" Still nothing. "Hey!" He pulled back his hand to turn the boy around to be face to face. "What is all this? Do you know something that I don't?"

"I want my dad. I need my dad!" He pulled away from Anakin's grip, running into the darkness.

"Hey, wait!" He ran after him. However, he saw nothing but darkness. Reaching out into the Force, he sensed the boy's light again. Until when he reached in deeper, he felt a strong connection between him and the kid. It was like looking inside himself.

"Obi-Wan! Ahsoka!" He reached out and sensed no trace of his comrades. "Kid!" He sensed him up ahead.

But as he ran, he saw more scenes play before him, their voices echoing in his mind.

" _The general I fought with was among the greatest of the Jedi. I trusted him with my life more times than I can count, and I tried my best to keep that trust._ "

" _You should have seen him in person. Anakin Skywalker. He was my master._ "

" _Your father was seduced by the dark side of the force._ "

" _There's good in him. I know … I know he's still … still._ "

Rex. Ahsoka. Obi-Wan. Padme … his beloved angel. He could hear all of them. They were filled with longing, hurt and regret. Seeing their older, pained faces, it was too much to take in. He swiped the fogginess away but was met with more resistance.

" _A powerful Sith you will become._ "

" _Anakin, please!_ "

" _You were my brother, Anakin!_ "

He almost fell down by the blow to his face. His chest constricted with scorching pain like he was burning up alive. A Sith Lord … Obi-Wan and him fighting … Padme in pain … what was the meaning of this? A big flash made him look up to see grown up Ahsoka again but facing off with a dark suited man wielding a red lightsaber. Sith. He tried calling out to her when her voice echoed around him, making him stop.

" _I was beginning to think I knew who you were, behind that mask, but it's impossible. My master could never be as vile as you!_ "

" _Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him._ "

" _Then I will avenge his death._ "

" _Revenge is not the Jedi way._ "

" _I am no Jedi._ "

Seeing Ahsoka draw white lightsabers and jumping up to attack the Sith Lord made Anakin forcefully get up and run over to stop it when he went right through it did he remember these were the fog of memories. Almost as if they were his. But that was impossible. He wasn't dead. Ahsoka was still a Jedi. None of this was making any sense.

He stumbled as he was about ready to give in when he felt reassurance through the Force as small hands grabbed him.

"Are you okay?"

"W – What is all this?" Anakin groggily asked. Suddenly, Anakin was surprised when the small boy supported him as he lifted the older man up, helping him walk. "How are you doing that?"

"I'm special." He gave a mischievous grin. Anakin should have known the kid was Force sensitive.

"What is this place?"

"It shows things you need to know. About what did and will happen in your life."

Anakin decided to ask later how this boy knows this when he kept asking. "The voices? I keep hearing them everywhere."

"Of those close to you, for good … and bad reasons."

"What does that mean?"

The boy looked up and once again, it was looking at his own eyes only his were laced with fear. "The bad man is out for you."

"The bad man?"

"He wants to turn you bad …. by taking away those you care for."

"W – Who does?"

His soft voice quivered with hate and fear. "The Emperor." Why the way he said it sent chills inside Anakin, he didn't know, nor did he like it. "You have to help me find my dad. You're the only one who can."

"Who is your dad?"

"Over there! Follow me!" The kid let go to run ahead, making Anakin almost fall over his legs.

"Hey, wait!" Anakin could feel a spring in his step as he tried catching up. But once again he was met with faces and voices.

" _I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father._ "

" _That name no longer has any meaning for me._ "

" _It is the name of your true self. You've only forgotten. I know there is good in you._ "

" _He has too much of his father in him._ "

" _The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. And … my sister has it._ "

Seeing the same Sith Lord again was one thing, but claiming to be him … no! No, it couldn't be true! And that he had a son? Will have a son? Anakin had never been so torn up in all his life. This all had to be fake. But these faces … seeing an older Owen and Beru, seeing a young man that resembled him with a woman that looked just like Padme. They were siblings. Did that mean … no, it couldn't be. Could it?

Anakin stopped running as the scenery changed to the familiar sands and small dome home of the Lars family. He spotted the kid watching the twins sun setting, the sky turning to reds and dark purples as the stars twinkled up high. He slowly approached him and the closer he got, the connection between them grew. The light was still there. So strongly. But when he reached out to his shoulder, Anakin turned him to jump back and see the boy all grown up, resembling him completely. Dusty hair. Chiseled face. Piercing blue eyes. It was the same guy who claimed that Sith Lord was his father.

"Who are you … really?"

The guy gave him a sad smile. "Someone I hope you get to meet someday … soon I hope."

"You're Force sensitive." The man nodded. "You live here?"

"I did … with my aunt and uncle. But, I hoped it'd be with my parents. And my sister."

"Your father … he's a Sith Lord."

"He wasn't always one. He was a good man. He just lost his way. I just hope that this time … he'll find the right path with the truth."

Anakin couldn't take it anymore. He stepped closer, staring him right in the eye. "What's your name?"

He smiled. "Luke."

Anakin liked that name. "Where's your dad?"

He saw a tear fall loosely down his face. "Right here." The scenery changed to the same bright light atmosphere from before when it highlighted the guy turning back into a kid again, looking at Anakin with tear filled eyes. "Daddy!" He ran at him, arms raised to reach him. Anakin felt something inside him draw him closer, getting down on his knees to grab the kid. Arms wrapped around one another as the kid – Luke – hugged him while crying in his chest. "Don't go, daddy! Please don't go! Don't leave me!"

Anakin's heart reached out to him, as well as the Force. "Luke." This kid, Luke, he was … he's his son. Their connection, their alike appearance, his sudden urge to never let him go …

"Why would I leave you?"

"You went bad! You helped the bad man hurt people, hurt Leia, hurt Mommy!"

Leia … must be his sister. But his mom? Could it be Padme? "I – I wouldn't hurt them. I'd never – "

"But you did. You will … unless you stop it."

"Stop it?"

"Stop from changing. Stop the bad man … before it's too late!"

"The bad man? You mean, the Emperor?" He felt him nodding. "But how?"

"Stay with the light. Keep those you care about close to you. Protect her, never leave her again."

"Padme."

All those moments – those memories – they were of his and Luke's mashed together. If this was the aftermath of Mortis's end, if the Force brought him to his future son, then it was for a reason. Anakin would turn to the dark side eventually. He'd become a Sith. He would hurt his allies, his friends, his own angel, abandon his own children … all because he was scared of losing them and that fear this so called Emperor would control … control him … like a slave.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Luke hugged him tighter. "Daddy? Promise me you won't lose your way. Promise me you won't forget."

"I won't forget. I won't lose my way. I promise."

"You better not." Luke lightly chastised.

Anakin chuckled. "You have my stubbornness alright."

"Promise me you'll stop the bad man."

"I promise. But how will I find him?"

"You'll know. Trust yourself. Sense it out. He's at the very top of power."

"Anything else?"

"Keep your friends close. They can help you. You can tell them anything. You can trust them. Promise."

"Okay."

"And Mommy … never let her go."

"Never." He breathed in his blonde hair, taking in his scent. "So, you're my son." Luke nodded. Anakin warmly gazed at him. "You're perfect." Luke looked up to give a watery smile and Anakin brushed away those loose tears. "Leia … your sister … she must take after your mom." He nodded, making Anakin smile warmly. "She must be just as beautiful." Anakin brought him up, carrying Luke as he hugged more, nuzzling his face. "I can't believe that … everything on Mortis … it's all true … but I can't … I won't lose my way … I won't lose you," Luke hugged his neck as Anakin ran his hand through his soft sandy hair, "any of you."

The light intensified as Anakin could feel himself getting drawn away. He hugged Luke tightly one last time before kissing his forehead.

"Luke … thank you."

The last thing he saw was his son's hopeful smiling face as everything faded out.

OOO

When he woke up, he was back in the Twilight. He looked around to see Obi-Wan next to him and Ahsoka sitting behind him, looking alright. They got the call from Rex, saying that he lost them for a moment. As the others spoke around him, their voices faded as he started racking his brain.

Fearing that he forgot everything, he was relieved to find the image of his smiling son etched in his mind. Everything he saw, everything he heard, every hug and caress he gave to his little smiling boy, he remembered all of it.

He was brought out of his thoughts by his concerned former mentor and padawan and he dismissed it as nothing before driving their ship to go where Rex was. Taking a glance at Obi-Wan, he looked fine … he was relieved to see that he had no recollection of what happened. He could tell Ahsoka didn't either. So the coordinates led them here … to Mortis … they were all meant to forget everything they saw. But for Anakin, the Force had other plans.

The future was in danger. The dark side dominated it. And Anakin had a part to play in it.

The bad man … the Emperor. He had to stop him. But how?

He was told … he was at the very top of power. With the Separatists? Maybe. What about in the Senate? In the Republic? Someone who would have the most power … oh God.

Anakin clenched his hands, gritting his teeth. How could it be him? He trusted him. He confided in him. He knew things … things he could use against him to control his emotions and manipulate him … could it really be him?

Losing Obi-Wan as a brother, losing Ahsoka as his padawan, losing his beloved Padme … is this what it would all lead to? What else was he not sure about? The order, the Chosen One, the war itself … is Luke's foretelling the end result?

Luke … Anakin's eyes looked around at the twinkling stars in the distance. He would have a kid, kids actually. He and Padme. Kids!

That is, if he can prevent the tragedy that would befall them all.

"I promise, son." Anakin whispered so softly, hoping neither of his comrades heard as they arrived at the cruiser. "I promise."

* * *

 **So yeah ... I wrote this all day so yeah it will need editing. But I wanted the mush.**

 **And I may write a sequel to this, a AU sounds more like it.**

 **I want Skywalker family mush.** **I've been reading it lately, especially Empire Day which is an amazing story on this site so go check it out!**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. Hopefully I can get back in the Marvel mood.**

 **Until next time, bye guys.**


End file.
